Local Churches
_______SERVICES_______
“Worship
the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”
May 4th Seventh Sunday of Easter
9.00 a.m. Holy Communion (1662) Broome
10.00 a.m. Family Service Blakedown
11.15 a.m. Morning Prayer Churchill
May 11th Pentecost - Whit Sunday
10.00 a.m. Benefice Holy Communion Blakedown
May 18th Trinity Sunday
9.00 a.m. Holy Communion (1662) Broome
10.00 a.m. Morning Prayer Blakedown
11.15 a.m. Family Service Churchill
May 25th First Sunday After Trinity
10.00 a.m. Benefice Holy Communion Churchill
June 1st Second Sunday After Trinity
9.00 a.m. Holy Communion (1662) Broome
10.00 a.m. Family Service Blakedown
11.15 a.m. Morning Prayer Churchill
Every Wednesday - 10.00 a.m. Holy Communion at Broome
The View from the Rectory
Dear Parishioners,
Yes, I may call you that now because by the time you read this I shall have been licensed into the Benefice as your Parish Priest. Diane my wife and I moved into the Rectory in early April having left the Parish of Astwood Bank in Redditch after some 14 years of ministry there, and with the Diocesan Church with Deaf People. We left with a splendid ‘Farewell’ and lots of good wishes for our future. It was, as you may well imagine, a bitter-sweet time.
Diane and I arrived in Blakedown to a splendid ‘Welcome’. No sooner had the removals van left the Rectory drive than we had visitors bearing best wishes, flowers, cards and gifts to celebrate our arrival. Apart from cards and beautiful flowers, we were also appreciative of a hamper, prepared for us by the Benefice churchwardens, containing all kinds of goodies to sustain us for a few days as we got our bearings in our new surroundings. We felt at home here at once.
At the time of writing this letter I am preparing for my Licensing Service on 15th April. There have been a number of problems at the Rectory – all the usual small but annoying things which most people have to face on moving into a house – but the house has been refurbished very nicely with fresh interior decoration and new carpets. I think Diane and I will be very happy among you and we now look forward to getting to know you all.
Thank you everyone for your welcome and support. It’s been wonderful!
Your friend and Priest, Fr Paul.
The Feast of Pentecost
Easter seems such a short time ago. Now we look forward to the great Feast of Pentecost and to the summer with the promise of holidays perhaps or a chance to get the decorating done; to the end of examinations; sunshine and blue skies; long, warm evenings and time for a little relaxation. But strangely the Church Calendar takes a different line. After Pentecost and Trinity Sunday we enter into the Church’s ‘Ordinary Time’ when the dominant colour of the Sundays after Trinity is green. Fresh green for the fields, of the leaves on the trees and the growing crops. It is the colour of health and productivity. Jesus in his teaching often used the lessons of nature and encourages us to see in the loveliness of the world around us, lessons for our spiritual growth and for the health and strength of our Church.
Much of the Church year is concerned with the activity of God and all that he has done for us: in creation; through the ministry of Jesus; through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. During the Sundays after Trinity in our churches we shall be concerned with our response to all that God has offered. The planting has been done and the parables go on to talk about the husbandry – the pruning and the weeding; the feeding and then the harvesting. The time after Pentecost and Trinity is the time when we should be concerned with our spiritual growth – our personal growth and that of our local church. We should be working hard at out prayers and our Bible study, our worship and church attendance (especially at the Eucharist). We should be concerned with our service to others and the use we make of our God-given talents, responding to God’s love and power with gratitude – loving because he first loved us. Let us use the coming weeks so that, with God’s help, we may ‘bring forth fruits worthy of our redemption’. PGH.
Practical Matters:
1. Fr Paul may be contacted to arrange Weddings and Baptisms in the Benefice churches. It is a legal requirement that to be married in a Parish at least one of the people to be married should be resident in that Parish. If this is not the case a License from the Archbishop of Canterbury’s office will have to be obtained. Funeral services are arranged with Fr Paul, or one of the Benefice Readers, through the Undertakers. Memorial services are arranged through Fr Paul.
2. Fr Paul endeavours to make himself available to offer a ministry of listening and the ministry of absolution.
3. Please tell one of the Churchwardens/Fr Paul or one of the Readers if there is someone who is ill – either at home or in hospital – and would like someone to visit them from the church.
Fr
Paul usually has FRIDAY as his free day. PGH.
Churchill, Blakedown and Broome
Weekly Village Prayer
Every Wednesday in Blakedown Church
7.30 - 8.00 p.m.
Please join us to pray for the spiritual life of our villages.
All denominations welcome.
WHEELCHAIR FOR HIRE
A high quality, modern wheelchair is now available from Blakedown Church for hire at a cost of £2 per day or £10 per week. The chair is designed to fit easily in a family car, so is ideal for outings.
Please contact Mary on 700776 to book.
NEW ADVENTURE
Each Wednesday morning, from 10.00 a.m. to 12 noon,
BLAKEDOWN CHURCH WILL BE OPEN
for anyone to pop in for a few minutes or as long as they want.
The time can be used to pray, think, be quiet or just to look around 'your church'